Five reasons for Cognos users to care about Clarity Vision 2011, and vice versa

Cognos users: Clarity Systems (now an IBM company) was acquired back in October 2010, to extend the IBM Business Analytics offerings within the Office of Finance and signal the company’s commitment to address financial governance and risk management.

Clarity Systems delivers financial governance software that enables organizations to automate the collecting, preparing, certifying and controlling of financial statements for electronic filing, in support of mandates by the SEC and other financial regulatory agencies.

Clarity Systems software – in particular, Clarity FSR – significantly reduces the risks of potential error and the lengthy times finance usually needs to create and file financial documents such as 10-Ks, 10-Qs, annual reports, quarterly reports, board book, and any other statutory or regulatory filings. The software allows finance professionals to seamlessly integrate information for more efficient planning, consolidation and financial reporting.

Together, IBM now has a comprehensive portfolio of business analytics software for financial professionals to plan, forecast and analyze performance, identify and manage key business risks, and report to external stakeholders with confidence.

Make yourselves comfortable, will you? I think you’ll have a lot to talk about.

First off, let’s talk Vision 2011: The 8th annual conference for Clarity Systems customers takes place May 15-18 at the Sheraton Dallas hotel. Already a must-attend event for current Clarity Systems customers, Vision 2011 – now bigger, and better and newly titled “The Premier Event for Financial Management” – also offers much that should pique the interest and encourage the attendance of IBM Cognos software users as well.

For example:

Expanded tracks and content: We’ve expanded from the typical two tracks to four to accommodate what is now a much more robust IBM analytics offering for the Office of Finance. You can view the track sessions and build an agenda here or read about the tracks below:

Track 1: Financial Governance: External Reporting Managers and Controllers will learn how the right technology and proven best practices can improve timeliness and quality in reporting, reduce risk; better facilitate audits; extend ERP transactional controls; drive confidence and efficiency; and effectively meet new regulatory demands, such as reporting in XBRL.

Track 2: Close, Consolidation & Reporting: Controllers and Financial Analysts will learn how to identify gaps and opportunities in their existing processes and use technology to reduce risk and optimize internal controls. Sessions will address the entire close and consolidation process, as well as management and regulatory reporting.

Track 3: Performance Reporting & Scorecarding: Controllers and Financial Analysts will see how scorecards are used to quantify and communicate performance metrics. They’ll also learn how executive management can leverage technology to gain greater insight and make better business decisions.

Track 4: Planning, Analysis & Optimization: Controllers, Financial Analysts and FP&A Managers will learn how their teams can use advanced technology and best practices such as driver-based planning and rolling forecasts to drive greater efficiency in the resource allocation decision-making process.

Second, a fantastic keynote speaker former SEC Chair Christopher Cox: From 2005 to 2009, Cox drove the technological modernization of the SEC, introducing most notably the mandate for XBRL and the EDGAR submission system in 2008. Happily, these very innovations drove the creation of Clarity FSR. Under Cox, the SEC oversaw the creation of a taxonomy of more than 11,000 XBRL data tags that catalog every element of U.S. GAAP. Cox’s insights should prove invaluable to you as you drive the modernization of the processes within your own organization.

Third: You’ll learn a lot: like how the leaders lead using business analytics. Thriving in our fledgling recovery means anticipating and shaping business outcomes, driving transparency to manage risk and drive better decisions. The 2010 IBM CFO study shows that companies that invest in business insight and finance efficiency to do this deliver 20x revenue growth, 49 percent greater EBIDTA growth and 30 percent higher ROIC compared to laggards. At Vision 2011, you’ll see and hear how your peers are progressing down this most exciting path.

Fourth, you’ll expand your skills and professional network: Finance executives don’t get much time to network and up skill at the same time. But at Vision 2011, you’ll have the opportunity to do both in the company of like-minded professionals from around the world. Through workshops, roundtables and the odd coffee break you’ll have the chance to share best practices, swap business cards and discover new techniques to increase your own productivity. Plus, you’ll also qualify for NASBA CPE credits for selected sessions.

Last, once you get back home you’ll be better equipped to build a more effective finance department and begin your journey to becoming an “analytics-driven” organization. The theme of this year’s conference is “See Beyond” and by joining us in Dallas you’ll most certainly broaden your outlook and expertise in one of the most challenging and exciting professions on the planet.

Plus, I hear the weather in Dallas is nice that time of year. Will you be joining us?

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